The FBI Agent and the Professor
by kira66
Summary: Who would have ever thought that Charlie had a secret? And a big secret at that?


Professor Charles Eppes stood looking out the window. His eyes were focused on the drops of water running down the window from the afternoon rainstorm. He didn't even turn when he heard the door to the office open and then close.

"Charlie?" Agent Don Eppes looked around the office, confused. He had been told to report here but hadn't been told why. Here being a corner office in the George Bush Center for Intelligence in McLean, Virginia. "Do you know what this is about?" He moved across the room and stopped at his brothers side. "It was sunny this morning. Weird." He mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, I know what this is about." Charlie answered, finally. "I've been finally cleared, and you for that matter, to tell you the truth."

Don frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What are you talking about, Charlie? Why am I...we...here? What truth?"

Charlie turned away from the window and towards his brother. "Do you remember the summer after I graduated college?"

It appeared to be a random question but one thing Don had learned, nothing was ever random when it came to his mathematician brother. "Yeah, of course I remember. You went backpacking in Europe with Larry, right?"

"That was the story, yes." Charlie confirmed. "Let me ask you something, Don. Does Larry look like the type of person who backpacks...anywhere?"

Don had never thought to question his brothers story, that is, until now. "Well, now that you mention it..." He trailed off. "If you weren't in Europe with Larry, where were you?"

Charlie sighed and moved over the desk where he, ungracefully, flopped down into the leather chair. "I was here, Don."

"Here? As in the States?" Don had never been so confused in his life. What did this have to do with why either of them was there? "You gotta give me a little more to go on here, buddy."

"I _was_ in the States but I meant here, in this building." Charlie waved his hand to make his point. "I was recruited right out of college, actually."

Don blinked and sunk into a nearby leather couch. "Recruited?" He sat back and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If this is some sort of a joke..." He started to say but stopped when he saw the serious look on his brothers face. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Charlie nodded, grimly. "Very." He spun the chair so that he was now facing the couch and his brother. "This is my office." He took a moment to look around the impersonal space. "I haven't had time to decorate, obviously." He joked, trying to disperse of the tension that seemed to form after his reveal.

"Decorate?" Don was stunned and had to shake his head to clear his thoughts. "So you're telling me that you're a CIA Agent?" He asked, skeptically. "And have been since you graduated College?" He was silent for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "How is that possible, you were just a kid?"

Shrugging, Charlie suddenly found the glass top of his desk interesting. "It wasn't easy, keeping the secret, that is. You were right when you said I've never been good at keeping secrets. This one about killed me."

Don still couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So...why now? Why tell me all of this now? Or why tell me at all?"

Charlie sat up straight, his face going blank. "Because you're going to need my help with Trenton case."

"Trenton?" Don eyed his brother. "But you're already working the case."

"I'm working the case as Professor Eppes." Charlie began to explain. "You're going to need my help as...well...Agent Eppes." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips but it soon faded as he moved onto more serious issues. "Douglas Trenton, the man you're currently looking for in connection to his family's murder is...was...a colleague of mine. Angela, his daughter, was my Goddaughter." He took a moment to remember the five year old little who lost her life just yesterday along with her mother and little brother, David.

Don picked up on the mistake. "Was? He doesn't work here anymore?" His FBI training was slowing kicking in.

Charlie sighed and removed a file from his desk drawer. Opening it, he removed a picture and laid it on his desk for Don to see. "I say was because he was killed two weeks ago in Afghanistan. His body was left near a military encampment."

"Afghanistan?" Don stood and crossed the office, picking up the picture from the desk top and looking at it. He grimaced at the mangled body captured in the picture. "So I guess he can be crossed off our suspect list." He sighed, this put them back to square one.

"Classified." Charlie, automatically answered. "I can tell you that no one knows about his death other than myself and his division head. Not even his family was informed." He looked back to the file. "Doug was my friend, Don. He was a good man, at least he was before he was sent to Afghanistan. He was there for a month before he sold us out to the highest bidder. We discovered his treachery too late and I think he died because of it."

Don looked up sharply. "Charlie, do you know what you're saying?"

Charlie's face grew hard and he nodded, his curls bouncing. "I'm saying I think someone within the Agency killed him _and _his family and I want you to prove it."

"This is deep, Charlie. Very deep." Don looked back to the picture. There was so much about his own brother he didn't even know. "You think whoever did this killed his family because they thought he was still alive and in contact with them?"

"That's exactly what I think. Look, Doug may have been dirty but his family didn't deserve what they got. Those two little kids were innocent. They didn't know what their father did nor did they care. Whoever did this needs to be stopped."

Don took a deep breath then nodded. "Alright, let's do this." He laid the picture back down on the desk top. "Well, Agent Eppes, looks like we're be working this case together."

Charlie smiled and relaxed. "I think we're make a fine team, Agent Eppes." He wasn't lost on the irony of the situation. "I wonder what dad would say if he knew?"

Raising an eyebrow, Don shook his head. "He wouldn't believe it." He answered without hesitation. "His math geek son really an secret CIA Agent? Nawh, he definitely wouldn't believe it."

"I think you're right." Charlie stood and escorted Don to the door then out of the building. "I hope you're good at keeping secrets, Don. This one is a doosey, let me tell you." He joked as they exited the building. "Hey, the rain stopped." He looked up to the sky.

Don smiled and looked up too. "I guess today didn't turn out so bad after all." He slung his arm over his brothers shoulders. "So tell me, does Cal-Si know about your...recreational activities?"

Charlie rolled his eyes knowing his brother knew his way of talking about a secret without actually _talking_ about it. "Nope, I'm just a plain ol' math genius to them." He quipped.

"I don't think plain even comes close to describing you, Charlie. Not in the least." Don threw back as they disappeared around the building and back into the roles they played so well.

The FBI Agent and the Professor.


End file.
